Mi-T Grip Mount secures GPS, smartphones easily in cars

Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News

Posted:
04/04/2013 12:07:08 AM MDT

Updated:
04/04/2013 11:58:37 PM MDT

It can be convenient to use your smartphone or an aftermarket GPS unit as you travel, provided, of course, you can mount that phone or receiver where it can be seen and reached, and where it is legally displayed.

Typically, suction cup-style devices are used to secure a phone or GPS receiver mounting bracket to a vehicle's windshield. However, that can be problematic if (a) you drive a vehicle in which the windshield is too far ahead of the driver's position to place the unit within easy reach, (b) the unit cannot be properly angled to prevent glare during daytime driving, or (c) attaching something to the windshield violates state law.

Because mounting something in the windshield may block part of the driver's forward view, more than half of the states in the U.S. and several Canadian provinces either ban such use or restrict the location on the windshield where such a device may be placed.

Michigan does not have such restrictions, but Indiana and Ontario do -- Indiana allows mounting only in a small area on the lower passenger-side of the windshield and Ontario bans windshield mounting.

An inexpensive solution that overcomes such problems is the new Mi-T Grip Mount from Bracketron, a Minneapolis-based company founded more than a decade ago to devise innovative ways to secure portable electronic devices inside vehicles.

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Although the Mi-T Grip Mount looks a lot like the typical smartphone or GPS receiver mount, it not only can be used on a windshield but also on any solid surface, even on the textured surface of the dashboard -- and not only in a car but in a boat or motorcycle or all-terrain vehicle.

Instead of the typical suction grip, the Mi-T Grip fills that cup-like area with its patented Temporbond material, a tacky, gel-type polyurethane ring.

The Mi-T Grip Mount has a suggested manufacturer's price of $29.95 and comes with the Temporbond suction cup and a rotating, spring-loaded grip that expands from 2 inches to 3 1/4 to secure a smartphone or GPS device in a vertical, horizontal or angled position for optimized viewing.

Bracketron says the Temporbond will not leave residue or any marks on the dashboard, and suggests cleaning the area with water or alcohol before mounting the mount, and then periodically removing the mount to clean the dash and also the Temporbond ring, using plain water to remove any dust or other particles that might interfere with the bond. Bracketron suggests letting the Temporbond area dry before reinstalling the mount.

The Mi-T Grip Mount, which was introduced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, comes with a one-year warranty.

I've been testing a Mi-T Grip Mount for the past week, mounted on the sloping surface of a dashboard just to the right of the instrument cluster. The combined Temporbond and suction grip has remained secure and the mount holds my aftermarket GPS unit where it can be easily seen and adjusted from the driver's seat.

For information and links to places where the Mi-T Grip Mount is sold, visit www.bracketron.com.

Larry Edsall is a Phoenix-based freelance writer. You can reach him at ledsall@cox.net.